The Dane Cook of Offenses: Yankees have no answer for Archer in 1-0 loss

The only good thing about these offensively inept Yankees is that their games no longer take four hours. Let’s recap the 1-0 loss:

SuperNova: For the third time in four starts since officially returning to the rotation, Ivan Nova pitched very well. He held a high-powered Rays offense to one run — via an annoying two-out bloop single by Kelly Johnson — on six hits and three walks in seven innings while striking out eight and getting nine outs on the ground compared to four in the air. He got 15 swings and misses out 105 total pitches, including 12 on his 39 curveballs (30.8%). That pitch really has been the difference for him of late. Nova is definitely on the short list of things going right for the Yankees at the moment.

Sterling: The Yankees hit two balls hard against Chris Archer: Lyle Overbay’s fifth inning single and Brett Gardner‘s sixth inning ground-rule double. Ichiro Suzuki reached on an error in the fourth and that’s all the base-runners. Archer threw just 97 pitches in the complete-game shutout — his second in the last three starts — the second time New York was shutout on fewer than 100 pitches in the last month (Derek Holland on June 27th). The Yankees were shutout in a nine-inning game on fewer than 100 pitches zero times from 1998-2012 (!), and they’ve now done it twice in the last month.

Leftovers: The homer-less streak is up to nine games — all played in hitter’s parks, mind you — their longest since going ten straight in April 1984 … Alfonso Soriano is 0-for-8 in his two games back so far … the Yankees didn’t draw a single walk and only two batters (Chris Stewart in the third, Gardner in the ninth) saw a three-ball count … 19 of their 29 plate appearances ended in three pitches or fewer … the Yankees were shutout for the ninth time this season, their most since 1997. There are only 58 games to go … did I mention the Yankees haven’t hit a homer in nine games yet? Because they haven’t.

Check out MLB.com for the box score, FanGraphs the other stats, and ESPN the updated standings. The loss dropped the Yankees to eight back of Tampa in the loss column, and the outcome of tonight’s Red Sox-Orioles game will determine if they’re three back of the wildcard spot (O’s lose) or four back (O’s win). Phil Hughes and Matt Moore is your pitching matchup for Hideki Matsui bobblehead day on Sunday afternoon. Check out RAB Tickets if you want your mini-Godzilla.

When the Yankees lose to Matt Moore tomorrow, and they will lose to Matt Moore tomorrow, they need to be sellers. Robbie Cano, Hiroki Kuroda, and Phil Hughes are nice 1 year deals that any team can take on, including small market clubs. Even Granderson could be dealt assuming he’s on track to return within a week or so.

It’s time to realize that this season is lost. After the season they need to fire Brian Cashman and Kevin Long. It’s not Girardi’s fault so I think he’ll stay. It’s not even guys like Wells, Hafner and Overbay’s fault. They’re not everyday players and they kept the club in it for 1-2 months which was their job. Cashman and Long have gotta go.

forensic

Amazingly enough, I actually agree with a bunch of this.

One thing I’ll say though, Girardi is largely Cashman’s guy. If you’re replacing Cashman, and firing at least one of Girardi’s coaches, I think you have to clean the slate, let Girardi go, and let the GM have a say in who the next manager is.

Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

I agree. Get a new GM and then let him make the decisions on the MGR/coaches.

http://www.twitter.com/mattpat11 mattpat11

I totally trust the Yankees ability to develop the prospects that they’d get get from said firesale.*

*I do not trust the Yankees ability to develop top prospects. At all. Which is startling, considering their long string of success in that department.

Laz

Is it really Long’s fault that Overbay, Wells, Stewart, Nix, etc are all turds. Try and polish a turd, you still have one, it didn’t change.

Stanislaw

I can understand your reasons for wanting to fire Cashman, although I don’t agree with them. But, Kevin Long? Really? Firing a hitting coach is going to make this team better? A hitting coach is the most overrated position on a managers staff. They get way too much praise when things are going right and way too much shit when hitters aren’t doing their job. Firing Long would help this team as much as firing the guy who does the laundry. Also, blaming Long for crap hitters hitting like crap is idiotic. It’s like blaming those ‘rehab’ camps for not turning gay people straight. You are what you’re born to be.

Also, like I said before, this isn’t a lost season. At least not yet. 58 games to go and only 4 games out of the WC. Plenty of time to get on a hot streak and plenty of time to (hopefully) get back the injured bats this team desperately needs.

Stanislaw

Just to note, I think they SHOULD sell so they can get younger. Hell, I’d even trade Rivera if the Yankees could get very good, young players or prospects. He isn’t coming back next year so, might as well get something for him, especially if it means a brighter future. Hell, I’d trade anyone on this team at this point.

But, I’m also a realist and know full well that, as long as there is a chance, the Yankees will NEVER throw in the towel. So, thinking that the Yankees will ever be sellers when they have a chance at the Playoffs is just futile and depressing. Instead, I’d rather imagine Kate Upton’s boobs in my face. It’s more fun and a lot less stressful.

Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

I mostly agree with your hitting coach points, except that I do think there is one area where the Yankees have been underachieving – regardless of caliber of hitter – for a few years now, situational hitting.
I don’t think that’s fully Long’s fault, but I do think a hitting coach could/should have an influence on situational approach to hitting. Whether that’s due to Long not teaching it or players ignoring his advice, I don’t know, but neither reflects well on Long.

WhittakerWalt

I doubt if it’s even 1-percent Kevin Long’s fault that the Yankees fail with RISP. I’m quite certain that Long (and Girardi) preach the same thing to every batter who hits with RISP: “don’t try to do too much. Don’t try to hit the big homer. Just try to get a base hit back through the middle. Just keep the line moving.”

The fact that the players don’t listen is not the fault of Kevin Long.

M. Harris

The problem with your logic of getting rid of the veterans is that doesn’t automatically make you a better team (visit Citifield and play to half empty stadiums).The team went on an austerity kick and let go of Swisher, Chavez, Ibanez, and Martin…the injuries only compounded the situation. Anybody else notice at the end of Saturday’s game, when a pinch hitter was required ? nada…the bench was worse then what was already on the field. Hal & his family have to decide what kind of team they want and how much money they want their investment to lose. Anything below .500, and the fans will start to not show up.

fabricio

i dont want to be a negative nancy but this team is getting worse and worse as we progress further we need help we need our reinforcements already

good thing is hafner is on the DL and Jeter is expected to play tomorrow

forensic

It’s also good they’re making sure A-Rod stays away for at least another week. Wouldn’t want to take Lillibridge’s big bat out of the lineup.

Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

Better to bring him back with an injury and reaggravate it and put him back on the DL?
I would hope the Yankees are finally learning their lesson after all of the rushbacks/setbacks this year.

forensic

Well, this is mostly irrational bitterness on my part since I almost certainly won’t get to see him in SD next weekend. Truthfully, I kind of question just how hurt (or if he is at all) he is at this point and what the organization’s true motivation is with him.

Normally, I would certainly agree with you. But, for one more week, I’m going to stick with being bitter and irrational on this subject. :-)

vicki

i feel like irrational is completely rational right now. know what i mean?

forensic

I know I should feel bad for picking up Archer for my fantasy team for today, but…

SDB

at this point I think the best FBB strategy may be to just stream/start pitchers who play the Yankees.

forensic

I hate to admit it, but I am constantly looking ahead to see who is available and will start against the Yankees (sometimes taking into consideration who they’ll start against before and/or after that game too).

Leg-End

Get Matsui on a major league deal, I bet he could hit one out.

Pat D

On second thought, I’m glad this game was blacked out.

By the way, I was trying to watch on YES through the Extra Innings package. I can only assume FOX is to blame, but this is the first time this had happened in like three or four years.

forensic

I was blacked out too. It was definitely FOX. For us out here, they had a game starting at noon (pacific time) which is during the Yankees game, so they blacked it out. Don’t know who you guys are getting out there.

Pat D

The FOX game in my area was Mets/Nationals, which started at 3 ET.

James

Love the Archer references.

dkidd

can we stop acting as if there’s a chance cano will be traded? it’s a waste of time (even as an intellectual exercise)

Chris

Agreed. They are never trading him, or anyone else not named Hughes or Joba.

And, by the way, Derek Holland’s game was on June 27th, not July 27th (which is obviously today).

dan

just remember if you want the cheapest legends seat is 600 dollars and the yankees require you to buy a 6 game plan…..oddly the tickets are available to see this great team that cannot hit………..189,189,….its coming soon…………

JLC 776

98 pitches.

LK

Well, it’s official. While this could change depending on what the White Sox do against KC tonight, the Yankees now have the 2nd-worst offense in baseball by wRC+. They’re ahead of only the Marlins, who are a laughing stock because they’re not even attempting to field a competitive team.

I’ve been on the “buy” side this whole season so far, but there are now as many teams ahead of the Yanks as there are behind them in the AL (and the situation is even worse if you go by run differential). It’s just getting harder and harder to imagine this team going on a run.

Gonzo

C’mon honey! Dane Cook, Pay Per View, thirty minutes, lets go!”

Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)

Why did they get Soriano again?

Either go all in and try to get some real difference-makers to go on a second half run, or sell. This token pick-up to appease the fans bullshit is insulting.

I actually want the Yankees to sell. Seriously.

Need Pitching & Hitting (but mostly hitting)

Sad thing is, I’m not sure there’s any better hitter that’s actually available (at least to the Yankees) right now.

Of course, that’s all the more reason to sell (not that there’s any chance of that happening).

Laz

What’s the return policy on Soriano?
I know my work lets us return product to the manufacturer if it doesn’t live up to our lofty standards.

Wheels

It’s only been two games, but yeah, don’t throw out that box yet.

forensic

I’m betting this was one of those trades where Epstein/Hoyer immediately said ‘no backsies’ as soon as whoever is calling the shots on the Yankee end signed the paperwork.

James A

This was my first game of the season I went to, so if I’m to blame for the particularly bad offensive performance my apologies.
Seriously though, it felt bad giving money to this ownership when they’re digging a deeper and deeper hole for this organization. I don’t know whether to buy or sell, that’s up to them, but I can say that my trust in the Yankees as a team and a brand has plummeted this season.

Bubba

I put forward that henceforth Archer be referred to by his codename, Duchess.

jtb23048

I thought Soriano was gonna help this?

forensic

He’ll (maybe) hit a homer or two every week or two, but other than that he’s the same (or maybe even worse) than most of the rest of the guys they’ve been using. He’s hitting .247 with a .281 OBP now. Even with this offense, that’s the 2nd worst OBP in the lineup today, only ahead of Lillibridge.

For what it’s worth, he also left Wrigley (where he was doing most of his damage) and came to YSIII, which although it’s a hitter’s park it’s not quite as good for pull righties as for lefties. He’s also not necessarily familiar with many of the pitchers in the league after having been in the NL for nearly 8 years (7 of them in the NL Central).

Personally, I think there’s become a bit of an obsession with these all or nothing guys (somewhat similar to Granderson) where they ignore way too many of the non-HR AB’s.

Kosmo

I agree. I might add the Yanks should have been in on Rios a better and more complete player. Rios is on record as saying if asked he´d waive his no trade clause to play for NY.
Of all the OFers reported to be available Rios made the most sense IMO.
NY shouldn´t throw the towel in but just clear the roster ,regardless of the dollar amount, of Hafner,Wells,Ichiro,Joba and Hughes and callup Mustelier,Ruiz,Betances and Garcia. Let´s see what they can do. Can´t be any worse than what we´ve been seeing.
Why is Girardi giving reps to Lillibridge and not Adams ? To me that´s plain stupid.

Bubba

Wasn’t there a report on RAB saying that Rios would not waive his NTC?

Shittyshittybangbang

You see …., it’s geometry. Incongruent …, is what it is. The front and the middle don’t jive about the back, and the fans are up in arms because they’re no dummies, and the front attempts to hood-wink the fans by forcing a trade that the middle opposes and is totally counter-intuitive. Ah fuck-it, what do I know ?! Anyways, shitty, real fuckin’ shitty !

Tipsie

Can someone tell me if Zobrist was out on Nova’s pickoff attempt in the 6th inning (prior to stealing 2nd, then scoring on the Johnson single)? I was at the game, and haven’t seen a replay. He looked out to me live (no argument from the Yanks, though).

ExitCashman

Safe. I am very impressed with the improvement Nova has made in every aspect of his game, including holding runners on. This was close but not quite there IMO.

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